Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Wararu urges Ombudsman Commission to stop parliament meet

THE East Sepik provincial go­vernment yesterday called on the Ombudsman Commission to stop the National Executive Council from reconvening parliament next Tuesday, The National reports. In an urgent submission to Chief Ombudsman Chronox Manek, East Sepik Governor Peter Wararu said parliament's recall before the scheduled Sept 20 meeting was "sub-judice" and "contemptuous" of the Supreme Court which was presently deciding on the legitimacy of the government under Prime Minister Peter O'Neill. A five-man bench of the Supreme Court is due to hear the matter tomorrow. O'Neill announced last weekend that parliament would be recalled on Sept 6 to debate important laws pertaining to the reserved seats for women, the proposed provinces of Jiwaka and Hela and whether or not to retain provincial seats beyond 2012. Wararu urged the Ombudsman Commission to invoke its powers under section 27(4) of the Constitution to direct members of the NEC, the speaker and each member of parliament to stop the recall of parliament next Tuesday. Wararu said that an early recall of parliament was in breach of the Organic Law. He noted that when parliament adjourned on Aug 9, it had fixed its next meeting for Sept 20. He said the public notice by the speaker had relied on section 2(1)(a)(iii) of the Organic Law but, in its true context, this only applied "where there is an emergency situation arising within the meaning of Part X of the Constitution". "Parliament has fixed Sept 20 as the date for the next meeting and only parliament can change that date.

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